The Opelousas courier., 1887-10-29
Air ship.

W1Gllu the past u1by years tAo All
genuity of man has produced so many
inventions, each startling and seemingly
impossible at the time of its introduce
ton and experiment, that the world,
with it's strides iuto the arcana OF
science, has almost ceased to wonder ut
anything proposed or attempted by the
investigations of man. We all know
what the crude ideas of Robert Fulton
have grown into since his application
of steam in propelling the first steam
boat on the Hudson river. Our ma
jestic and p~alatial river crafts, still
grander steamships which now cross
the Atlantic in less than six days, and
the lightning locomotive which draws
a train of cars at the rate of fifty and
sixty miles an hour across..Sthe CONT
nent, are all the outgrowth of the
n~ascent idea which impelled his brain
in setting it in motion. We also re-
member Franklin's first experiment
with electricity through the medium of
a kite and brass key, then Morse's ap-
plication of the current over the first
telegraph wire, and witness the untold
uses to which electricity is now succesh-
fully applied, and QUE minds, at first
amazed, can wonder no more. The
electric fluid as a messenger of thought
and of speech gives instant information
across every continent and ocean. The
telephone, for speech, annihilates dis
lance, and persons hundreds of miles
apart can talk as Familiarity as if sitting
in a room together. If an auditorium
l i'm npo1nnaAo u,oa onnnaotoH nv fnfQ.
phone with the halls of Congress in
Washington City, we could easily hear
the debates ofour statesmen when dis
casing questions during it's sessions.
Or we could hear the rendition OF a
play at a theatre in New York, or the
music Of an opera in Cincinnati. Ed
son in his experiments, unexpectedly
developed the photograph which re-
produced the utterances of the human
voice then invented a battery and q
burner which gives the most powerful
Tight in the world-the electric light
which is fast superseding all other
methods of illumination in our cities
and larger towns to-day. Again, an
other electrician has so perfected the
necessary machinery for electricity as a
motive power, that, although yet under
trial and open for further improvement,
it has run a train of cars at a speed OF
twelve miles per hour, and may yet s u
pereede steam power on the railroads
of our country. Another has perfected
an instrument by which messages car
be transmitted from a train running al
the rate of forty miles per hour. These
are illustrations enough in the wonders
of the progress of science and inven
ton to prepare u minds for still more
incredible discoveries. Keely's motor
although seemingly an insane idea
may yet startle the world by it's results
fa~some tangible shape of new develp
ment. Wonders cease, the pos
sibliities of science are Unreasonable
and new revelations will be continual.
made in the field of invention. Thi
brings us to the Airsshipswhich form
the caption of this article. In tn
Scientific American of January LIST,
an illustration of a novel form of al
aerial vessel, the invention Of MI
Moses S. Cole of 15reytown, Nicaragua
Central America. It is claimed, say
that journal, that this vessel a b
raised, lowered, steered and propelle'
: hin any direction at tho will of the pilot
"The vessel is provided with a centra
compartment having suitable rooms fo
the accommodation of passengers an
crew. On the top of the ceiling is sc
< cured an inflated balloon of semi-sphei
: oidal form, while to the floor is attach
ed a similar balloon. Downward
through. gthe5ssfoor EXTENDS a liollo'
shaft in which is placed the motiy
(, power for operating the driving wheel
and which forms at it's lower end the p
lot house. The main driving shaft
placed t~ransversely across the floor, an
is formed with o crank at its center, 7
which the motor is coupled. On eae
T, end of the shaft, and outside the inclo
j ing wall of the compartment, is secure
a wheel having several wings, whlt
|, open and close automatically, accort
: ing to circumstances; these whee
8 serve to raise or lower the vesst
d Wheels similar in construction a
placed at the ends of the vessel.
: .The rotation of the side whee
L causes the vessel to ascend, aided |
the balloons. A forward or backwal
8 motion is obtained by the rotation
the end wheels when placed in an axi
position, but the vessel can be forced
execute any evolution desired by swim
ing one or both of these wheels sidewis
:. To cause the vessel to descend, the m
ton of the side wheels is reversed.
nj "The connections, through the N
dium of which motion is communiea
: ed from the motor in the shaft to t
four sets of wheels, are well design
L so as to insure the necessary strene
d combined with little weight. The
rangement of the parts for opening t
- wings is simple, effective, and not
J BILE to get out of order. The machine,
taken as a whole, may be made stro
and effective without undue weight
ID We have quoted enough OF
Scientific American on this subject
give u readers an idea of this NO
= aerial boat, now being experiment
q, with and improved on by its invent
e. who believes that he will yet bring
MS Of such perfection al to use it succ
!, fully and safely in navigating the
L, Like other inventions, Mr.. Coles 6
Id ecption may be the starting point
of further discoveries in this direction
which will lead to equally success
results as have been witnessed in le
motion on land and water, and in
startling uses to which electricity h
been brought. We a but excia
,eI e What nexte'1 j